Local and Regional Authorities, stakeholders and citizens are welcomed to contact their relevant Member States Competent Authorities for Invasive Alien Species (IAS) information and reporting. Member States Competent Authorities contributed to the preparation of baseline distributions of invasive alien species of Union Concern under EU Regulation 1143/2014, and have the obligation of reporting the presence of IAS of Union concern, under Art. 16 of the EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species.
The Belgian implementation of the EU Regulation is specified following a cooperation agreement (CA) between the Federal authority, the Communities and the Regions. The CA calls into existence:
the National Committee on IAS with representatives from the three regions and the federal authority;
the National Scientific Council on IAS with scientists of the research institutes of the competent authorities, independent scientists and NGO’s representatives;
the National Scientific Secretariat on IAS supporting the Committee in the scientific aspects of the implementation of the regulation.
Regions:
The three regions are responsible for the prevention, monitoring, management and reporting of IAS on their own territory.
Flanders:
Agency for nature and forests (ANB) is the agency of the Flemish government for nature protection and management.
Research Institute for nature and forest (INBO) is the independent research institute of the Flemish government that supports the ANB and is responsible for the surveillance and monitoring of IAS.
They have produced together the educational platform Ecopedia with information on the EU Concern species, best management practice and case studies.
Brussels:
Brussels Environment (Leefmilieu Brussel/Bruxelles environnement) is the governmental institute responsible for the environment.
Wallonia:
The Department of Nature and Forest (DNF) is in charge of nature conservation within the Walloon administration for agriculture and environment (SPW-ARNE).
The Department of study of the natural and agricultural environments (DEMNA) is in charge of developing and coordinating the acquisition, validation and diffusion of environmental data, including those on IAS.
They have formed - together with the department of water courses - the “Cellule interdépartementale Espèces invasives" (CiEi) to help coordinate actions on IAS and they produced an educational platform.
Federal:
The federal authority is competent for the importation, exportation and transit of non-indigenous species, including IAS.
The Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Department Environment, is the competent authority in charge of implementing all federal competences linked to IAS, and in particular article 15 of the IAS regulation (with the support of customs and the Federal Agency for the Food Chain Safety).
The Belgian Biodiversity Platform is a Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BelSPO) initiative that works in cooperation with Belgian federal authorities. It provides services to the Belgian scientific community engaged in biodiversity research. It maintains information systems, risk assessment and risk management tools for IAS.
The Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM) of the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences is in charge of ensuring the scientific expertise on marine species for the implementation of the EU Regulation.
Belgian monitoring, surveillance and rapid response portals
The early warning system in Belgium works through the bilingual portal Waarnemingen.be/Observations.be
Flanders has developed Vespawatch, a specific portal for the monitoring and management of the asian hornet, Vespa velutina.
Wallonia has developed a specific portal for monitoring of IAS by citizens and professionals.
All Member States Competent Authorities